New Hampshire Preservation Project

Strawbery Banke, Portsmouth, N.H., 1962. &quot;View in 1962, across the center of the Strawbery Banke Historical Preservation Project Area, looking north, showing accumulation of rubble and commercial junk piles as well as some non-period houses slated for removal.&quot; Photograph by Douglas Armsden. Photograph the property of James L. Garvin, New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources

“In 1970, fifty-three mills
in New England closed, so we were not alone... It became obvious to us quickly
that what was at stake here was not just old buildings but really a whole way of
life where you can live in a small place and work here and be self-sufficient.
So putting that mill back into work was a major goal for us. That's when we
switched from preservation to economic redevelopment, they have been a
partnership ever since.”

-John J. Colony III, Vice Chairman of Historic Harrisville,
Inc., founded in 1971 to preserve the integrity of the historic village of Harrisville as a working
community.

The
concept of historic preservation is redefined every time a city, town, or group
of individuals struggles to figure out what
of the past is worth saving. The countless decisions about
preservation in the state of New Hampshire are the focus of one of Historic
New England’s latest partnerships in its 100 Years, 100 Communities initiative to
preserve and share recent history. Historic New England
and three New Hampshire-based organizations are partnering on a documentary film
on historic preservation projects in the state since 1950. A film crew from
Blind Squirrel Productions, based at Timberlane Regional High School, and staff at Historic New England have interviewed people involved in preservation across
the state, including politicians, restoration carpenters, and planners. They have collected preservation stories
about projects like Portsmouth’s Strawbery Banke Museum,
which rescued an urban neighborhood from demolition; Historic Harrisville, which
revitalized a dying mill village; and Berlin’s
Northern
Forest Heritage Park, which preserves the history of the
once-mighty pulp paper industry.

Using
archival photographs and on-camera interviews of people in all areas of these
preservation efforts, the documentary portrays the evolution of historic
preservation to include conservation, restoration, multiple-use facilities, and
economics. Historic New England’s previous collaboration with Blind Squirrel
Productions resulted in the award-winning film on Berlin, At the River’s Edge, which has received
national recognition.

Read excerpts from interviews:

Please note that the opinions expressed in these oral histories are
those of the interview subjects, and not Historic New England. For more information, e-mail community engagement at Historic New England